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Glass. 
BookillJJL 



AN ACCOUNT 



OF THE 



SUFFERINGS OF FRIENDS 

y * OP 

y NORTH CAROLINA YEARLY MEETING, 



IN SUPPORT OF THEIR 



TESTIMONY AGAINST WAR, 



FROM 



1861 TO 1865. 



"But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that cnrse yon, d» 
good to tliem that hate you, and i)!ay iur tliem wliich de^pitefuHy ii"se j^a, 
and persecute you : tliat ye may be the children of your Father which is ia 
bearen : for he niaketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and seed- 
•th raiu ou the just and ou the unjust." — 31att, v : 44, 45. 



Poblisbed by Order of the Representatives of North Carolina Yearly Heetin* of PrieBctn 



THIRD EDITION. 

THE PEACE ASSOCIATION OF FRIENDS IN AMERICA.' 

1872. 



I — "tJ f^ \J 



•Fg FiL 



^yy-^'^? 






[IG.] 



AN ACCOUNT 



OF THE 



SUFFERINGS OF FRIENDS 

Of North Carolina Yearhj Meeting, in Support of their 
Testimony against War, from 1861 to 1865. 



We believe it right to record the sufferings of Friends in 
North Carolina during the late Rebellion, not that they sa 
greatly exceed those of others, but because principles of 
such high importance were involved in them as totally to 
separate them in character and results from the general 
calamities of war. The positions of Friends in this state 
was a peculiar one. Utterly opposed, not only to war itself, 
but, as was well known, to the system of slavery, which 
was the leading object of the contest, they had a double por- 
tion of enmity to bear. While many others reaped as they 
had sown, or were innocently involved in the fatal choice of 
their rulers they suffered for conscience sake, they endured 
grief, suffering wrongfully; it was emphatically "the trial of 
their faith," and, as such, precious, we believe, in the sight 
of the Lord, and worthy of remembrance among men. We 
desire, also, to commemorate the loving kindness of our God ; 
for He who said " Blessed are ye when men shall revile you 
and persecute you," has Himself been with His people as 



4heir refuge, and has proved his faithfulness in strengthening 
them to bear their testimony for Him, in delivering them 
from danger, and in overuling all for good. 

A convention met in the Fifth month of 1861, and passed 
an ordinance of secession for the state. In the Twelfth 
month of the same year, an attempt was made to pass an 
'* Ordinance concerning Test Oaths and Sedition," by which 
every free male person in the state, above sixteen years of 
age, was required to appear publicly and renounce all alle- 
giance to the government of the United States, and also 
promise to " support, maintain, and defend the independent 
government of the Confederate States." The alternative was 
banishment in thirty days. An earnest protest was entered 
against this act which would fall with much severity upon 
Friends. Their peaceful, industrious, and moral character 
was fully recognized, and their peculiar stand-point in regard 
to war and slavery urged on their behalf. It was claimed 
that the exception, and special provision made in their ftivor 
by an act of assembly in 1777, ought still to protect them, 
and the final appeal was made in these words — ''Upon 
the expulsion from among us of such a people the civilized 
world would cry shame."* The proposed act fell to the 
ground, but not so the hostility that was capable of sug- 
gesting it. 

In the excitement which now prevailed throughout the 
state in the effort to promote volunteering. Friends were, in 
various ways, exposed to much anxiety. Many left the state, 
though every means was now used to prevent* this, and 
several parties of emigrants were arrested and brought back. 
A few Friends were occasionally included in the draft, but 
obtained their release upon various grounds without much 
difficulty. It was not until the summer of 1862, that the 
great and general trial came. By the passage of a Conscrip- 
tion Act in the Confederate Congress in the Seventh month 
of this year, every man between eighteen and thirty-five 



*Sec "Speech of Hon. William A. Graham, of Orange, in Con- 
vention of North Carolina, Doc. 7th, 1861, on the Ordinance con- 
cerning Test Oaths and Sedition. Raleigh, 1862. 



years of age, was required to enter the army. This act, as 
early as 1863, was made to include all between the ages of 
eighteen and forty-five; and finally, in 1864, all between 
seventeen and fifty years of age. Meantime, in the Fourth 
month of 1862, Friends had petitioned both the State Assem- 
bly and the Confederate Congress for relief The State Gov- 
ernment first passed an Act of Exemption, releasing them 
from military duty upon the payment of one hundred dollars 
each, and on the 11th of Tenth month a similar bill passed 
the Congress at Richmond, which exempt all who were 
members at that date upon the payment of five hundred 
dollars. 

Unlike our Friends in the Northern States, it was not upon 
a few that the trial came, but upon the many. And in 
another more important respect our positions difibred widely. 
In our own case, the existing government, and the officers 
who executed its will, were fiir from having sympathy with 
us. We • were still loyal at heart to the Government of the 
United States, and though submitting passively to a tempo- 
rary usurpation, this was little merit in a community that 
culled for the utmost zeal in the new cause. We testified 
against slavery, and in the fresh effort to establish it more 
firmly this was no small off'ense. Above all, we could not 
fight, and with the spirit of war so rampant in our midst, 
that the preaching of the Gospel of Peace gave way in almost 
every place of worship to a call to arms, the hatred and 
malice thus iiroused fell with much violence upon us. 

In proceeding to give some details of the consequent suffer- 
ing, it may be well, for the sake of clearness, to group them 
under three heads, viz : 

1. Cases of suffering previous to passage of the Exempt 
tion Act, or under irregular proceedings. 

2. Cases among the newly convinced members, on whom 
the persecution fell most heavily. 

3. Cases of those who could not conscientiously pay the 
Exemption Tax. 

The first division, while embracing the largest number of 
instances, does not furnish the cases of greatest suffering. 



6 

Rude arrests, short, but uncertain imprisonment, and violent 
threatenings, were the common lot of many who were drafted 
or conscripted, but refused to fight. In not a few instances 
they were also hung up by the thumbs for several hours. 
Some of these escaped to the West, some obtained release, 
on the ground of inability; others felt at liberty to engage 
in the State Salt Works, and some other kinds of employ- 
ment which protected those thus occupied — though not a few 
of the latter, finding their work too closely connected with 
war, relinquished it. We are willing, also, to acknowledge, 
that at this early stage of the war, the trial that fell so sud- 
denly upon us found some of us unprepared. There was, 
naturally, for a time, some unsettlement, and much uncer- 
tainty ; but very soon, we believe, there was experienced a 
deeper rooting for the storm, and those whose ftiith was really 
overthrown were very few indeed. After exemption had been 
obtained for our Society, there was still occasional instances 
of cruelty. In the constant search for conscripts, thousands 
of whom were hidden in the woods, our Friends were often 
exposed to suspicion and danger. Sometimes from neglect- 
ing to carry their papers with them, they were sadly mal- 
treated. Space, M'hich will be needed for more important 
cases, will allow us to give only one such occurrence in 
detail. 

In the spring of 1865, about forty men, professing to be in 
search of conscripts, came to a mill belonging to J. D., of 
Cane Creek, Chatham county, The miller was first hung up 
by a rope three times to force him to betray his sons, who 
were hidden. Upon hearing the screams of the miller's wife 
and children, J. D. went out to the crowd. The same in- 
formation was demanded of him, but he assured them of his 
entire ignorance as to their retreat. He was at once seized 
and carried into the barn. A rope was tied around his 
neck, and thrown over a beam, while he was mounted upon 
a box. Then beginning to tighten the rope, they said, "you 
are a Quaker, and your people, by refusing to fight, and 
keeping so many out of the army, have caused the defeat of 
the South," adding, that if he had any prayers to offer, he 



must be quick, as he had only five minutes to live. J. D. 
only replied, that he was innocent, and could adopt the 
language, " Father forgive them, they know not what they 
do." They then said they would not hang him just then; 
but proceeded to rob him ; then ordered him under a horse- 
trough, threatening to shoot him if he looked up. While 
lying there, he could hear them hanging up the miller three 
different times, till the sound of strangling began. After 
finally extorting a promise from him to find his sons, they 
left, charging J. D. to lie still till they came back with soiae 
others to hang. They did not return, however, but went an 
to one of his Methodist neighbors, whom they hung until 
unconscious, and then left him in that state; and the nest 
night they found one of the missing conscripts, whom tliey 
hung until dead. Such were the persecutions at the hands 
of violent men, of which many instances could be given. 

We now proceed to the Second Division — the newly eGn- 
vinced members of our Society. 

J. G., of county, was conscripted in the autumn 

of 1862. About two months before this, his fear of the 
coming evil was so great, that he left his home and family 
and escaped to Tennessee. But finding that the step did not 
result in peace of mind, he returned, and quietly awaited 
the result. In about two weeks he was arrested and carried 
to Camp Holmes. In a few days the conscripts were all 
summoned and offered bounty money if they would now 
volunteer. J. G. and two others refused the offer. An 
attempt was next made to entrap them by giving them a 
paper to sign, without which they were assured they could 
have neither money nor clothing. They were adroitly told 
of the great need they might soon have of the latter, or, if 
not needing it themselves, of the good they might do in 
giving it to the needy. These offers were steadily refused, 
and the wily arguments met by the open assertion, that "all 
war was opposed to the whole spirit and teachings of the 
gospel and the mission of the Christian. His weapons, they 
said, were not to be carnal, but spiritual." Bundles of 
clothing were, however, soon tossed to them, with many offen- 



IKVS epithets, and they were now told that they must either 
obey orderj* or be shot; and that if they did not fire when 
in battle, the men behind them ordered to shoot them. 
Ji G. replied, "You have me here, and may inflict on me 
any punishment yon will ; but I can not do more than submit 
to what you inflict. My hands are clean of the blood of 
men, and I intend to keep them so, cost what it may." 

An attempt was then made to force the bounty money 
upon them, but in vain. One of the officers now came for- 
ward and said, " Boys I want to give you some good advice. 
Take your clothing and money and go along. Obey your 
€)flTeers, and do right, or else you will be put under sharp 
dacers of Col. S., who will have you shot into strings if you 
don t obey. Just put away your Quaker notions, now, and 
do right. What regiment will you be sent to?" Refusing 
to commit himself, by any choice, he was ordered to Rich- 
mond, Va ; but while on his way, he, with several others, 
waa released, through the efforts of Friends, and the pay- 
ment of the $r)00 required. He was, at this time, in con- 
nection with the Methodists, but was soon after united to 
Friends. 

It was in the midst of such commotions, that many were 
led to very serious thoughts upon the inconsistency of war 
and fighting with the loving and quiet spirit of a disciple of 
.lesus. Decided, first upon this point, and then led on to the 
consideration of others, many sought admission to our Society. 
The whole number of these, including those members of their 
families, who were often received with them, was about six 
tandred. There were many other grounds upon which the 
more quiet citizens of our State were opposed to the war, but 
such motives could rarely have been the inducement for them 
to unite with us. Nor did such a step allow of much hope of 
escape from suffering. Only those who were actually mem- 
bers at the time the Exemption Act was passed were allowed 
the benefit of it. It is true, that through the leniency of 
■ome officers in the Confederate War Department, this act 
was sometimes so construed as to cover other cases. But 
for this, special application had to be made, and such influ- 



9 

ences brought to bear, as few could hope to secure, while the 
release was usually obtained after a lengthened period of trial 
had tested the reality of their convictions. Thus it fell out 
that the storm burst with greatest violence upon those who 
were in many ways the least prepared to meet it, By their 
old associates, such views were regarded as lacking the excuse 
of early training, and in tlie family circle the suffering had 
often to be more or less shared by those who did not partake 
of the conviction that occasioned it. But He whose strength 
is given according to our need, prepared many of these to 
Buffer cheerfully for His name's sake, and to endure hard- 
ness as good soldiers of Jesus Christ. In the great multi- 
tudes that swelled the two vast armies arrayed against each 
other, there could not have been found instances of more lofty 
heroism, of calmer courage, and fearless, unshrinking endur- 
ance of death, and agonies beyond those of death, than were 
exhibited by that little band, who made up another army, 
and followed as their only Captain the Prince of Peace. No 
hope of higher honor lured them on. No exulting nation 
gave them its gratitude. Reviled and persecuted, their 
Heavenly Leader sustained them with one sure promise — 
" Great is your reward in heaven." 

S. F. who had become a member with us after the passage 
of the Exemption Act, and could not avail himself of it, was 
arrested in the Twelfth month, 1864, and taken to Salisbury. 
On refusing to take a gun, he was subjected for two hours to 
the brutal punishment known as bucking, in which the per- 
son is placed in a stooping position, the wrists firmly tied 
and brought in front of the knees, with a pole thrust be- 
tween the elbows and the knees, thus keeping the body in a 
painful and totally helpless position. After this, he was 
made to carry a pole for two or three hours, and then tied 
during the night. The next morning he was tied up by the 
hands for two hours. The same afternoon a gun was tied to 
his right arm, and a piece of timber to his neck. Unable 
longer to endure the weight of it, he sat down in order to 
support the end of it upon the ground, when^he was pierced 
by a bayonet. They then bucked him down again, and 



10 

gagged him with a bayonet for the remainder of the day. 
Enraged at the meekness with which these cruelties and 
indignities were the borne, captain began to swear at him, 
telling him it was useless to contend further, he must now 
take a gun or die. As the captain proceeded to tie the gun 
upon his arm, S. F, answered quietly: "If it is thy duty to 
inflict this punishment upon me, do it cheerfully — don't get 
angry about it." The captain then left him, saying to his 
men: " If any of yoa can make him fight do it — I can not. 
Two young men now appeared with their guns, telling him 
they were going to take him off and shoot him. "It is the 
Sabbath," he replied, "and as good a day to die as any." 
They however took him to the colonel of the regiment, who, 
more inclined to mercy, advised him to consult a lawyer and 
procure exemption, if possible, but assured him that if not 
so released he must take his gun or die. Two days after 
his gun was tied to his arm witli great severity, and a strap 
passed around his neck, by which he was dragged around 
nearly the entire day. The next day the bucking was re- 
sorted to. A Friend, who visited the camp at this time, 
remonstrating against sucli cruelty, it was given up, though 
he was still retained as a prisoner till the surrender of Salis- 
bury not long after restored him to his family. 

J. B., of Chatham county, N. C, was, at the commence- 
ment of the war a Baptist, and colonel of the militia. He 
threw himself eagerly into the Southern cause and began 
to raise volunteer companies. The refusal of some Friends 
to join in a parade, led him to examine the ground which 
they held. The result Avas, that he first hesitated to order 
the captains of the difierent companies to enroll the Friends, 
and soon after, in the fall of 18(31, he resigned his own com- 
mission, under a full persuasion that " it was not right to 
slay his fellow-men." Starting, on a dark night, not long 
after to attend a political meeting, to be held near him, he 
lost his way, and wandering, in no small distress of mind, 
he reached at last the public road, and the steps of a build- 
ing, which proved to be the Friendvs' meeting-house. While 
seated there alone, in solemn meditation, he became satisfied 



n 

that it was his duty to unite himself with the people who wor- 
shiped there. Delaying a little to perform the vow which 
he had at that time madej on the Cdi of the Third Month, 
1862, he was drafted. He evaded the search made for him 
by escaping into another county. Venturing to return in 
the Eighth Month, he was for some time unmole&ted. He 
was received into membership with Friends in the First 
Month, 1863. He soon after paid the Exemption Tax. But 
the enmity which followed his decided course, and hitherto 
singularly held in check, now had its way. Early in tlie 
next year his exemption was revoked by a sub-oilicer, aud 
he was sent, under guard, to Camp Holmes, n-^ar Euieigh, 
and then to Wilmington, where for four weeks he sufiered 
much abuse. But his spirit was so far changed that he was 
able to endure it meekly, and even literally : when smitten on 
the one cheek turned the other also. A petition for his re- 
lease from his friends proving ineffectual, he resolved to es- 
cape. After a perilous journey on foot of 2u0 miles, he 
reached his home, only to be recaptured the next morning, 
and was soon again at Wilmington under still more cruel 
treatment. Believing that he had erred in his hasty escape, 
he now became resigned to whatever they might be able to 
inflict An alarming illness, which brought him to tiie brink 
of the grave, led to his discharge. Upon his recovery he was 
again ordered to camp, and put in jail for a week. Passed 
on again as a prisoner from camp to camp, he had, in each 
place, to bear his testimony amid sneers, and taunts, and 
cruel threats. At times he met with kinder treatment, and 
was allowed such work as he could conscientiously perform. 
He was finally released by the surrender of Johnston's army, 
after having, for three years, endured peril and hardness, and, 
for the last year, almost continuous persecution. 

B. P. H., who has since become a member of our Society, 
became strongly convinced of the principles of peace. He 
was ordered to Salisbury to guard government stores; but 
refusing to participate in any way in the work of war, a gun 
was fastened to his back, and he was tied to a guard-post. 
In writing of this to a friend, he spoke of it as " the first 



12 

punishment he had had the blessed privilege of enduring for 
Christ's sake." Often the curious crowds gathered around 
him to witness what, in their eyes, as naturally in his own, 
stamped him as a coward and despicable. But instead of 
yielding to such an imputation, he fearlessly explained the 
conviction that led to his singular position ; thus, sometimes 
opening the eyes of others, and compelling the respect of 
nearly all to a courage far beyond their own. Strikingly 
■were the words of the Apostle Peter verified in his experi- 
ence : " If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy 
are ye;" and, "If any man suffer as a Christian, let him 
not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf." 

The surrender restored him to his family, and the life thug 
ennobled by patient endurance, has since been earnestly de- 
voted to the relief of the suffering around him, and the high- 
est welfare of his fellow-men. 

G. M. was arrested and removed from one guard-house to 
another, till, reaching Richmond, he was sent on to join the 
army of General Lee, then in the Valley of Virginia. Re- 
fusing to fight, he was ordered to the rear to cook. He ex- 
plained that, while willing to do his own cooking, he could 
take no part in any of a soldier's duties. For this refusal he 
was bucked down for some hours. The next day the army 
was obliged to retreat, and on the way he was offered a gun. 
He replied that he had no use for it, as he could not fight. 
The general in command of his division then threatened him 
with immediate hanging, and he was marched toward some 
trees selected for the purpose. But arriving there, he was 
allowed to go on with the retreating army. Refusing to ac- 
cept any occupation that was military, even to carrying the 
baggage of the officers, after varied abuses (among which 
were much knocking and kicking), he was put in close cus- 
tody at Petersburg, where his hardships were great; water to 
wash with being refused him for three weeks. But the sur- 
render of Lee's army at Appomattox Court House followed, 
and he was discharged, after bearing his testimony for con- 
science' sake through seven months of great trial and suffer- 

iD£C. 



13 

Other members of this same family were called upon to lay 
down even their lives for a testimon3^ 

J. M., who had recently become a member, and had ob- 
tained employment in some iron works, in order, if possible, 
to keep from the army, was arrested and hurried away with- 
out being permitted to see his wife and family, first to Raleigh, 
and then, in a few days, to the army in the valley of Virginia. 
He was forced into the battle at Winchester, and, in the re- 
treat, finding the balls flying thick about him, he lay down 
upon the ground for safety. Being taken prisoner, he was 
carried to Point Lookout, where, in a few days, he died. It 
was believed by his family that his death was hastened by the 
mental sufi'ering which he endured, both in his separation 
from them and in witnessing such scenes of carnage, in which 
he. could take no part, and from which the natural tenderness 
of his soul recoiled. 

A. M., another brother of this family, had received a Chris- 
tian training, and being fully convinced, both from the Script- 
ures and his own experience, that he could not resist evil, and 
that he was bound, so far as possible, to live pneaceably with 
all men, he sought admission to the Society of Friends. He 
had obtained a discharge from the army, which was disre- 
garded. The sergeant who was ordered to arrest him was 
an old schoolmate, who, while endeavoring to procure his re- 
lease, also protected him from abuse. From the first, he had 
a strong impression that his days were now numbered; and 
while still in health he wrote to his father, giving his last 
messages to his brothers and sisters, and also his wishes re- 
specting his own burial. He was taken to Richmond, refused 
to fight, and was put under guard. The rations given him 
consisted only of meal made from cane-seed. This unwhole- 
some diet led quickly to severe illness, and in one of the 
hospitals at Richmond he laid down his life for the gospel 
of peace, a good soldier of Jesus Christ, and early permitted 
a happier discharge and a more glorious reward than any of 
earthly giving. 

S. W. L., of Randolph Co., N. C, was another of the num- 
ber who proved faithful unto death. He had been a member 



14 

of our religious society but a few months, when lie was ar- 
rested as a conscript and sent to the camp near Petersburg,; 
Virginia. Upon his arrival he was ordered to take up arms. 
This he refused to do, and, as a punishment, was kept from 
sleep for thirty-six hours. As this did not move him, for 
about a week after he was daily bucked down for some length 
of time, and then suspendcl by the thumbs for an hour and 
a half l>uing still lirm in his refusal to fight, he was court- 
martialed, and ordered to be shot. A little scafibld was pre- 
pared, on which he was placed, and the men were drawn up 
in line ready to execute the sentence, when he prayed^ 
*' Father forgive them, for they know not v/hat they do." 
Upon hearing this, they lowered their guns, and he was 
thrust into prison. Not long after he Avas sent to Windsor 
Hospital, at Richmond, Ya., where, after a long and suflering 
illness, the end came in his peaceful release for a mansion in 
heaven, A few lines from an officer in the regiment to Avhich 
he had been assigned closed the suspense of an afflicted fiim- 
ily, when his widow and his seven children were left with 
little other legacy than the like precious faith. **lt is my 
painful duty to inform you that 8. W. L. died in Windsor 
Hospital, at Richmond, on the 8th of December, 1864. He 
died as he had lived, a true, humble, and devoted Christian, 
true to his faith and religion. ... We pitied him and 
sympathized with him, . . . but he is rewarded for his 
fidelity and is at rest." 

J. M. J., A. J., and D. J. were three brothers, who joined 
the Friends after the passage of the Exemption Act. After 
their names were placed upon the list of conscripts in 1863,. 
they still remained quietly at home, not even hiding in the 
woods. Their protest against bearing arms was unheeded,, 
and they were arrested and sent on to the army at Orange 
Court House, Va. There they were ordered into ranks, but 
on refusing to obey, J. M. J. was knocked down with a gun, 
and a long gash cut in his head. On attempting to rise, the 
blow was repeated, this time nearly cutting ofi" a portion of 
his ear. This was done a third time, and he was then sent 
to prison. His brother A. was at the same time undergoing^ 



15 

his trial, being pierced with a bayonet to the depth of nearly 
an inch. Tlie third brother, though severely tried, suilered 
less in person. They were, soon after, sent to the Kapid Ann^ 
to General Scale's command, where new trials awaited them. 
, The American officers finding all their efforts to fail in subdu- 
ing them, turned them over to a German officer, who boasted 
that he could make soldiers of them. Various punishments 
and abusive, threateniug language were used in vain. He 
then ordered them to be kept in close confinement for three 
days and nights, without food or drink, making it a court- 
martial offense for any one to relieve them. A Kentucky 
soldier, in the darkness of the night nobly risked his safety 
and passed in to them a little water, to their great relief. 
The end of this trial found them still unwavering. They 
were then all bucked dqwn for three or four hours. This 
cruel punishment, follov/ing so closely upon the others, 
proved too much for the mind of the youngest, which be- 
came for a time deranged. He was allowed medical treat- 
ment in a hospital until his recovery, when he was again 
sent back to camp. This severe treatment had now been 
continued for four or five weeks, when a Friend, wdio was 
searching for them, obtained, first, the suspension of this 
cruelty, and, soon after, by application to Eichmond, their 
release. 

We come now, under the third division, to cases of still 
greater suffering, and under circumstances which gave the 
closest possible test of fidelity to Christ as the Prince of 
Peace. Some Friends accepted the provisions of the Exemp- 
tion Act; others again could not conscientiously do so. The 
yearly meeting of 1862 adopted the following minute upon 
the subject: 

Wc have had the subject under serious consideration, and 
while, in accordance with the advice issued in our last yearly 
meeting, * we do pay all taxes imposed on us as citizens and 
property-holders, in common with other citizens, remember- 
ing the injunction, tribute to whom tribute is due, custom to 
whom custom,' etc., yet we can not conscientiously pay the 
specified tax, it being imposed upon us on account of our 



16 

principles — being the price exacted of us for religious liberty. 
Yet we do appreciate the good intentions of those members 
of Congress who had it in their hearts to do something for 
our relief; and we recommend that those parents, moved by 
sympathy, or young men themselves, dreading the evils of 
a military camp, who have availed themselves of this law, be 
treated in a tender manner." 

In the spring of 1862, two brothers, H. M. H. and J. D. H., 
were drafted, arrested, and taken to Raleigh. Being allowed 
to return home for ten days, they faithfully reappeared. 
They were soon sent to Weldon, where they were required 
to drill, and were warned of their liability to be shot if they 
proved refractory. They were, however, only kept in close 
custody in the guard-house, and the next month were dis- 
charged and sent home. About a year after this they were 
included in the conscription. They were assigned to an ar- 
tillery company at Kinston, and, after various threats, were 

sent to General R , who declared that his orders should 

be carried out at all hazards. They were now confined in 
an upper room without food or drink. Various persons were 
allowed to converse with them, and, as day after day passed 
on, so far from sinking under the suffering, they used their 
little remaining strength gladly in explaining their testimony 
and telling of their inward consolation. They felt that, in 
this time of fiery trial, this did indeed turn to them for a 
testimony, and that they knew the promise was fulfilled. "It 
shall be given you in that same hour what ye shall speak" 
Their sufferings from thirst were the most acute. On the 
third night the brothers were awakened from a peaceful sleep 
by the sound of rain, A little cup had been left in their 
room, and from the open window they could soon have re- 
freshed themselves. The first thought of each was to do so. 
They were in nowise bound to concur in this inhuman pun- 
ishment. Yet an impression was clearly made upon their 
minds, before consulting each other, that they must withhold, 
and they scarcely felt the copious showers tempt them. The 
next morning several officers entered the room and questioned 
them closely. They claimed it to be impossible for them to 



17 

retain so much strength without any food, and charged them 
with having secretly obtained it. They then, in much sim- 
plicity, told them of their not feeling easy to take even the 
rain that fell. This, evidently, touched the hearts of the 
ofi&cers. Soon after the end of four and a half days' absti- 
nence, a little water was allowed, and about the end of five 
days their rations were furnished again. This remarkable 
circumstance was widely spread, and they had constant op- 
portunities of bearing an open testimony to Christ; and not 
a few of those who crowded around appeared to be persuaded 
of the truth which they held. Even ministers of diiferent 
denominations came and encouraged them to be faithful. 

J. D. II. was next taken before General D , who said he 

would not require him to bear arms, but would set him in the 
front of the battle, and use him to stop bullets. On declin- 
ing to work on the streets as a part of the soldier s duty, he 
had a log of wood tied on his shoulders, and was marched 
around until quite exhausted. He was next sent to a guard- 
house, then placed in a dungeon for a day, then in a prison- 
cell. His persecutors seemed at their wits's end, but they 
finally devised a rude and barbarous punishment. A forked 
pole was thrust round his neck, and upon the prongs, as they 
projected behind it, a heavy block of wood was fastened. 
This they blasphemously called the cross of Christ. The 
soldiers and town's-people were looking on while he was 
" thus made a gazing stock by reproaches and afflictions." 
No sooner had the captain fairly completed this work, than, 
in a rage, he pulled it off again, and tied another log upon 
his shoulder, and marched him about till exhausted, when 
he was sent back to jail. 

Meantime his brother H. had been enduring a different pun- 
ishment. At three different times he was suspended by his 
thumbs, with his feet barely touching the ground upon the 
toes, and kept in this excruciating position for nearly two 
hours each time. They next tried the bayonet. Their orders 
were, they said, to thrust them in four inches deep; but, 
though much scarred and pierced, it was not so severely 
done as they had threatened. One of the men, after thus 



18 

wounding him, came back to entreat his forgiveness. In the 
various changes of the next four months some kindness wa^ 
occasionally shown to them, but mingled with much cruelty. 
It was not till seven months had been passed in these fiery . 
ordeals, that their release was obtained — another Friend 
thinking it right to pay their exemption money for them, 
without their knowledge. The value of this tax, at that 
time, was only equal to a little more than a barrel of flour — 
a small sum, indeed, could they have felt themselves easy to 
avail themselves of this provision. It was no small addition 
to their sufferings that their families at home were sharing in 
it. In the extreme scarcity of labor, their wives were com- 
pelled to toil hard in the fields to raise the food for the com- 
ing winter ; and this proved not merely a passing hardship, 
but left one of them in greatly enfeebled health. 

Another brother of the same family, W. B. H., was ar- 
rested on the 8th of Sixth Month, 1863. The officers to 
whose division he was assigned were unusually rough and 
severe. Finally, after a full explanation of his views and 
the necessity he was under of refusing all military duties 
whatsoever, the colonel said he should be shot, and the only 
favor allowed should be the choice of time — that night or 
the next morning. After a little pause, W. H. replied, that 
if it was his Heavenly Father's will that he should lay down 
his life, he would far rather do it than disobey one of his 
commands. But if it was not his will, none of them could 
take his life from him; however, they might give the order 
to do 80. He then spoke of the three men who were cast 
into the burning fiery furnace, and of Daniel in the lions' 
den, who all trusted in God, and he delivered them. As to 
the time of his death, he could make no choice. The ofl&cer 
seemed greatly at a loss, and sent him to the wagon-yard 
for the night. The next morning he was ordered out with 
a foraging party. He explained that he had two objections 
to this. It was, in the first place, military work, and besides, 
it was taking the property of others. The colonel, now 
greatly excited, came forward, and had him laid on the 
ground, while a gun was tied to his back. He refused to 



19 

rise with it on. The men w^re then ordered to run their 
bayonets into him, but they continued only to pierce his 
clothes. A squad of men w'>re then drawn up in readiness 
to fire ; but as the order was about to be given, W. H. raised 
his arms, and said : "Father forgive them, for they know not 
what they do." Not a gun was tired, and some of the men 
■^ere heard saying, "Thoj could not shoot such a man." 
The enraged officer struck at his head, but missed his aim. 
He then spurred his hor?© repeatedly to ride over him, but 
the horse sprang aside al". each attempt, and he remained un- 
harmed. The officer then left, saying, he was not yet done 
with him — but was hir/yself killed the same or next day in 
the battle of Gettysburg. As W. II. was sick at the time of 
this battle, no attempt was made to force him into it. He 
found, in the retreat, with which he was unable to keep up, 
a shelter and kind care at a farm house, but was soon taken 
prisoner by the Urjion cavalry, and sent to Fort Delaware as 
a rebel prisoner. He had been ill there a week before a 
message could roach Philadelphia. Application was at once 
made at Washington, and a telegram was promptly dispatched 
from the war office ordering his release upon taking an af- 
firmation of allegiance to the United States. But, loyal as he 
had ever been, he could not promise "to support, protect, and 
defend'' the Constitution and Government. He had already 
Buffered too much and been too marvelously preserved to flinch 
now from bearing any portion of his testimony. He was told, 
while thus apparently upon the eve of his release, that there 
were two alternatives — this affirmation or imprisonment until 
the close of the war. But, upon a fuller explanation of the 
nature of his scruples, an alteration was promptly made in 
the form of the affirmation. He was released, and, like 
many others, found a home in the West till the close of the 
war allowed him to return to his beloved family. The God 
whom he served had indeed been able to deliver him. 

At the same time that W. B. H. was arrested, four others, 
having a birth-right membership with us, and opposed to the. 
payment of the tax, were taken by force from their homes in 
Randolph County — C. and A. B., brothers, and T. and J. H.,. 



20 

also brothers, and cousins of the former. Although detained 
in the army for nine months, they suffered comparatively little 
from the cruelty of officers ; yet the uncertainty of their lot, 
and the painful surroundings of camp life, kept them in con- 
«tant dependence upon the care and loving kindness of their 
Lord. On their passage from Weldon to Camp French, near 
Blackwater, Virginia, the conscripts were packed standing so 
closely in a car that they could only rest themselves by lean- 
ing on each other's knees, and were kept in this way, without 
water, and with only the little food a few chanced to have 
with them, for nearly twenty-four hours. They were assigned 
to the 52d N. C. Regiment. On declining to drill, they were 
untreated to pay the commutation tax, and were assured that 
their money should be used only for civil purposes. They 
steadily urged that liberty of conscience ought not to be pur- 
chased in any way. The colonel then assigned them to Capt. 
K , and from him and his company their quiet and con- 
sistent course won unexpected favor. The lieutenant, how- 
ever, for a time was very harsh, and ordered his men to com- 
pel them with guns and bayonets to aid in clearing ground 
for a camp. He was just ordering two men to press steadily 
upon them with the points of their bayonets until they moved 
— an order which they contrived to evade for a few moments, 

injuring them but slightly— when Captain K appeared, 

and, reproving the lieutenant, told them they might remain 
<iuiet for that time. As they trusted in the Lord, he often 
turned the hearts of their commanders, so that even this 
same lieutenant became kind and considerate. All sorts of 
work Avere offered to them — cooking, waiting on the sick, etc. 
But, though willing to do the w^ork itself, they could not ac- 
<;ept such labor as military service. At one time they were 
ordered to help bring in some fodder. On refusing, they 
were first fastened together and then tied behind a cart, so 
as to force them to run or be dragged three or four miles 
and back, through mud and water, upon a very cold day. If 
they still refused to load the fodder, the order was to pitch 
them into the river; but such orders were more easily given 
than executed. Even the wairon-m aster, who at first seemed 



21 

fierce, relented, and, after watching them pass through this 
humiliating trial, declared he could not help respecting mea 
who stood up to their principles in that way. Their presence 
in the army became more and more perplexing. The wish 
was expressed that they would run away, but this they would 
not do. Furloughs were often given, and a written indorse- 
ment on one of these assigned as a reason for it, that "they 
were of no manner of use in the army." At the battle of 
Gettysburg, their prayers were heard, and though often or- 
dered to the front, they were never forced to go. They shared 
the same lot as their friend W. B. H., and were released from 
Fort Delaware by the same order. 

Such were the heroes of the army of peace! Who shall 
estimate the power of such examples ? Volumes may be 
written upon the impolicy and evils of war; but how feeble 
are all words by the side of such quiet deeds wrought in the 
grace of their blessed Leader ? Most meekly, yet most nobly, 
did they keep the charge, " Thou therefore endure hardness 
as a good soldier of Jesus Christ." Let it be remembered, 
they were in the hands of men whom slavery had long trained 
in the exercise of almost irresponsible power. The many 
lawless and cruel threatenings which they endured exhibit 
this most clearly. Such threats were not unfrequently ex- 
ecuted upon others. 

A single well-authenticated instance may suffice: 

A young man, formerly a Friend, was forced into the army, 
and, though reluctantly, entered upon military duties. One 
day he remarked quietly that he wished all the men, north 
and south, would go home and leave the rulers who brought 
on the war to fight it out. This unguarded speech was re- 
ported. He was tried by court-martial, and sentenced to be 
shot that day at noon. A few hurried, trembling lines of 
farewell, indorsed ])y a chaplain, bore the awful tidings to a 
stricken family, where the mother's death, and a still darker 
cloud falling upon the mind of his desolate widow, were the 
after results. 

Among all those who steadily refused to bear arms, and of 
whom many were imprisoned, not one suffered a violent death, 



22 

which must surely be tracol to the overruling Providence of 
him by whom "even the ^ery hairs of our head are all num- 
bered." 

The pecuniary loss suntained by Friends of North Caro- 
lina was not small. As tiriey could not fight, and as they were 
charged with favoring the cause of the Union, they were fre- 
quently marked out for special plunder. In the few small 
meethigs in Tennessee, included in the limits of this yearly 
meeting, the loss (in gold) was $35,000. In the vicinity of 
Goldsboro', in a quarterly meeting of about forty families, the 
whole loss of property was estimated in official returns at 
$98,220 (in gold). This resulted, in part, from the army be- 
ing quartered upon them at various times during the four 
years' struggle, but chiefly from the desolating march of Gen- 
eral Sherman in the spring of 1865. In not a few cases 
Friends were pointed out as very obstinate secessionists, and 
deserving of no mercy. Their homes were stripped of almost 
every comfort. Much of the bedding and clothing, furniture 
and food which they could not carry off was wantonly de- 
stroyed. Their stock was generally swept away, and scarcely 
a living animal, even to a chicken, remained. The sick were 
taken from their beds that the soldiers might search for gold. 
So extreme was the destitution that followed, that those who 
had lived in plenty were now seen upon the track of the 
army, searching for fragments of food to sustain life. A 
few old bones were counted a welcome treasure; and when 
this resource failed, and rations were distributed in Golds- 
boro', delicate women and children had often to w^alk ten or 
fifteen miles to procure a few days scanty food. The seed 
placed in the ground had been mostly destroyed, and they 
could obtain no more. 

The fellowship between members of other Christian de- 
nominations had been sundered by the war, Avhile Friends 
had maintained their Christian love and brotherly confidence 
unbroken during these years of separation and trial. And 
no sooner had the tidings of this great suffering reached 
Friends of lialtimore, than the most prompt and generous 
measures were taken for their relief Funds were also 



23 

freely contributed by Friends elsewhere; clothing and vari- 
ous little comforts, such as love only could suggest, were pre- 
pared, and shipments of Ibod went forward immediately; the 
secretary of Avar promptly giving passes to those who were 
the bearers of this relief, the first, we believe, sent after the 
surrender. Though personally strangers, they were welcomed 
with tears of joy and gratitude by Friends; and even others, 
who still felt alienated from fellow-professors, and even kin- 
dred at the North, looked on in wonder at this exhibition of 
love unfeigned. 

Meantime, the Friends living in the counties of Alamance, 
Chatham, Randolph, and Guilford,^ and comprising by far 
the largest portion of those in the State, were placed in most 
imminent peril. After the fall of Richmond and the surren- 
der of General Lee, the army of General Johnston ;vas still 
near Greensboro', while the army of General Sherman moved 
on from Goldsboro' to the other side of Raleigh, and, w^ith a 
day or two's march between, demanded the surrender of the 
Confederate forces. AVhile awaiting the answer, President 
Lincoln was assassinated. Roused by this to a still more de- 
termined spirit, the army of Sherman seemed prepared for 
the niost utter devastation. Between the two opposing forces, 
and, indeed, partially surrounded by them, lay our peaceful 
homes, with an apparently almost certain destruction hang- 
ing over them. We had neither weapon nor shield, save our 
prayers and our trust in the arm of the Lord. But these 
were all we needed. The threatening cloud of battle rolled 
away and the surrender of the last of the Southern armies 
was affected without bloodshed in our very midst. Through 
four years of danger and distress on every hand the Lord 
had been increasing the f\iith of his people, and now they 
were left to rejoice in safety over their last, croAvning, and 
signal deliverance. 

While the physical wants of our Friends were being re- 
lieved, others as important existed still. Our educational 



'*'" Corresponding nearly with tlie limits of four quarterly meetings 
—Western, New Garden, Deep River, and Southern. 



24 

privileges, never at any time large, had been almost entirely 
suspended by the war, and our children for four years (with 
many of them tlie most important period for mental train- 
ing) had been cut off from schools and books. The Balti- 
more Association, which had received large aid from the 
other yearly meetings, and held it in charge, proceeded now 
to follow up this higher need. Their efforts have resulted in 
the establishment of forty schools of the best character, in- 
cluding a normal school, embracing in all, about 2,600 
scholars, and a department of agriculture; and these privi- 
leges are shared, to a large extent, by our neighbors. 

In thus reviewing the trials to which our members have 
been exposed during the past four years, we have desired to 
commemorate and magnify the grace which has supported us 
through all. We rejoice that peace has again come, and that 
the great curse and incubus of slavery has been lifted from 
off our land. 

We wish, also, gratefully to acknowledge our sense of the 
love of our brethren of the other yearly meerings, both in this 
country and across the Atlantic, whose efforts to repair our 
losses, promote the education of our children, and benefit our 
agriculture, have cheered, comforted, and encouraged us. 

None of our members have passed through the terrible 
ordeal of the war without sharing stunewhat the calamities 
inseparable from it; but we record, with thankful hearts, the 
merciful preservation which has so manifestly been extended 
to those whose only defense was their trust in the Lord, 
whereby our faith in his ever excellent name has been 
strengthened and our love for one another increased. 

He himself has condescended to be witii those whom he has 
permitted to suffer for his name's sake, enabling them to bear 
a testimony for him, and giving them, as we humbly believe, 
the assurance of his presence and love. To him only be the 
glory! 

Signed by direction and on behalf of the Representatives 
of the North Carolina yearly meeting of Friends, held at 
Deep River, N. C, Seventh Month 18th, 18G8. 

NATHAN F. Si*P:NCER, Clerh 



